Allure of a Siren
by Lin of Ling Chow
Summary: This is the second installment of my To Woo a Siren story. More Itachi/Sakura in this...I hope. I don't own Naruto.
1. Chapter 1

Sorry it took me a bit longer than expected to get this posted. I am a rancher and things are busy this time of year. As usual I warn you that none of this has been edited properly, forgive me.

XXXXXXXXXXX

It had been nearly two years, spring had only just begun to dawn over their mountains, it was a busy time for the Uchiha, but Itachi was impatient, and unwilling to wait longer. He was going to get the little Siren.

The ship he had procured to take him across the water was a necessary discomfort. He had no way of knowing how far across the water she had traveled, he could not risk becoming exhausted and falling from the sky mid flight. It would also greatly speed their return journey.

He ordered them to drop anchor just within sight of what the human sailors referred to as the cursed isle's. An unnatural fog that persisted in the warm spring weather was the only indication that there was anything there. Itachi knew it to be a mere illusion to protect the Siren nest that was hidden amidst the chain of small islands that were said to be within.

It was a moot point to instruct the captain to remain there, no convincing in the world would have gotten the man or his ship closer to the danger of those islands, he had lost more than a few good sailors when they jumped overboard, transfixed by the sirens song. He knew what happened when you traveled too close to a nest. No, the danger would be in him pulling out before Itachi was able to retrieve his prize. It was a small matter, Itachi didn't foresee this taking long and he could overtake the ship even while carrying the small Siren he intended to bring back with him. He was not about to be convinced into leaving without her, he had warned her he would come, he had confidence she would be ready.

Two years was a small blip in time to him, but he had no inkling as to the length of Sakura's life or the longevity of her species. Would she have expected him sooner? Somehow, he doubted it, she must know enough of magic to understand the time it took to gather componence and knowledge to release the spell she was held under. As it was, he was still some ways from completion, but he could do no more without the curse under his hands to examine and mold. All magic was a process, some longer than others.

He circled the islands carefully first, looking through the illusion with red eyes that were his birthright, giving the sirens there sufficient warning that he intended to land. He had warded himself against the allure they would attempt to use against him, but it was best not to startle a potential enemy, especially in their own territory.

He landed on a stone that jutted out from the water, some ways away from the sandy beach of one of the more central islands. It took but moments for several heads to bob up out of the water around him, watching with warry eyes and distrustful looks. Some had tails that lurked in the water mermaids, and mermen suspicious of a fire demon's presence in their oasis.

"I am looking for Sakura" his tone was carefully neutral, mild and without inflection, his politicians voice. "She should be expecting me". One or two of the heads disappeared slipping out of sight among the reefs, presumably to inform Sakura of his presence.

She was here, he could feel his magic on her, and no doubt he could have found her himself much faster, but with more difficulty. His mother had taught him manners, and he was capable of using them to get what he wanted when he so chose.

It was not long till she appeared on the sandy bank, and he straightened from his crouch to observe her, even as she paused to do the same to him. A relief filled him, one he couldn't explain, he had known she was here and alive, his magic had told him as much. So he couldn't understand the part of him that relaxed when she met his gaze and flashed him a lazy carefree smile that suited her so well.

She swam to meet him, pink hair following her like floating streamers in the water. He hauled her up onto the rock with one hand.

"You are ready to come with me?" he asked, because as always, he would not force her into something she did not want. She waved to the Sirens and merfolk that had gathered around them in the water, flashing them smiles, before turning and nodding to him.

Another flash of relief at her acceptance, he pulled her in tight to his chest and propelled them into the air with powerful stokes of sleek wings. She wrapped her arms around his bare middle, legs tangling with his to stabilize herself. An anxiety he hadn't known he held was released from a tight place in his chest. He wondered at it, before pushing it aside to contemplate later.

The wind created by his wings was the only sound as they landed on the deck of the _Lady fair_ an apt name for the ship, given her newest passenger. The crew gapped, completely surprised and flabbergasted by the demon's new acquisition.

Sakura was suddenly shy, remaining tucked under the shadow of Itachi's half furled wing. She was hardly dressed immodestly, even by human standards, but the seaweed woven cloth was wet and adhered rather nicely to a figure, he knew she would never flaunt despite its aesthetic appeal.

The captain strode forward.

"Sir I had no knowledge- "

"Make way captain." Itachi ordered, cutting off any objections. Sea men were abhorrently superstitious, bringing aboard not only a woman but a Siren would no doubt bring about mixed feelings among them, warring between their self preservation and their libido. Itachi had no desire to see which one won out, their ogling had immediately irked him past a reasonable level of patience. The captain seemed to sense this, the anger of a demon was something that no one in their right mind would like to insight. So after a pause and a glance in the direction of Itachi's red eyes he nodded, before turning on his heel shouting orders to his lollygagging crew.

Sakura followed Itachi like a shadow as he led her to the cabin that he had been given. He left her there, he did not bother telling her to stay. She would do what she willed, but it was a safe place, out of the eyes of insolent sea men. He could safely admit in the quiet of his heart that perhaps he was being a tad possessive of something that was not truly his. Distantly, he wondered if that was a sign he should do something about that.

…

The return trip to shore was only a week in length, but to Itachi it seemed longer. Not nearly so long as the initial journey, but still, time seemed to drag more than it ought. Though it was for different reasons.

Sakura was still withdrawn and wary of the sailors overt staring. Coming out mostly at night to dive off the railing and swim alongside the ship, beckoning all manor of colorful sea life to come and play with her. Her sense of fun and enjoying the moment had not changed in the two years that had passed. He enjoyed watching her, though never let his look become too intense, his sharingan eye would hold weight on any creature who bore his gaze, and he did not wish to be the source of her discomfort.

He found himself unwilling to share this perusal with any crew members who came to strain their eyes in the moonlight to view her innocent fun. He was mostly amused at their attempts then, it was when she chose to entertain herself by shimmying up and down the rigging that he employed a glare to discourage a crowd from gathering. His red eyed look had caused the destruction of sanity to many creatures much stronger than a human, it was right for them to fear his displeasure.

There were some traits in himself that he was continuing to recognize that had him somewhat vexed. Like the reasons, he enjoyed watching her, she really was poetry in motion, possessing a grace that made her heritage that much more obvious. But it was not just that, the curves of her body called to him, to come closer, touch, feel…..taste. Desires he had had before but not when he had anything to gain but a momentary physical gratification, it was the fleeting nature of it that had left him disgusted and disillusioned with the idea of a female to warm his bed. Did he stand to gain more from Sakura? Did he want to tarnish this innocence with such thoughts of her? It was certainly something to contemplate.

It went without saying that until he had reached an answer to these questions he would not move forward with such notions. Sakura need not know any of these thoughts had even occurred to him.

When shore was within sight Itachi and Sakura departed from the ship. The captain of the Lady Fair was glad to see them go, having received his full payment. The demon had paid well for their services and he could not complain, but beings such as those two, attracted trouble of the variety that he and his crew had no hope of defending against.

Itachi had forgone the idea of procuring horses to travel by, it would be faster for them to fly. Certainly, an exhausting endeavor for him to undertake, given the distance they had yet to travel, but he preferred not to be confined to the ground. Even if they took a leisurely pace, interspersed with plenty of rest stops it would speed their travel by many weeks.

He found after the first day, that Sakura was prone to motion sickness after spending too long in the air. She would never complain, but he could see her discomfort on her expressive face.

"Imagine Shisui's reaction, should he find out you possess such a sensitive stomach" He commented one evening soon after they had landed to rest for the night. She had curled herself into a miserable little ball on the ground, willing her stomach to stop spinning. She just furrowed her eyebrows and stuck her tongue out at him, indignant that he should tease her when she felt so gross.

' _He will never know'_ She mouthed, her scowling face making up for the threatening tone she could not use.

"Won't he?" Itachi asked mildly, still teasing.

Her look darkened to a glare, and he smirked at her sore pride. She flashed her fangs and he resisted the urge to laugh. She couldn't possibly be threatening, no matter how hard she tried she would always look like a recalcitrant child that was pouting. She was cute.

XXXXXXXX

Tell me what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

So first off for this chapter, it was commented on in the reviews that Sirens are mermaids. I am defending myself and setting the record straight, no they aren't. According to google, and my brief research on their origin; they actually were human in appearance first before being gifted with wings and feathers. To be fair, in this story Sakura does not take to the air but rather to the water like more modern myth dictates, but original mythology never had sirens with mermaid tails.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was five days' travel to take her to the Uchiha castle he had intended. No need to bring her back to the hustle and bustle of the main palace. She may find the atmosphere there awkward. He was the heir to a powerful clan, and not just Shisui and Sasuke would notice if he began spending undo time with a female that he had gone to personally retrieved. He wished to keep her separate from the sticky politics of demon court.

It may take longer this way. This small out of the way castle was a six-hour flight from the main one, and he would have to leave regularly to continue to see to his duties. It was far enough away that he would not have to be concerned of any family dropping by for an impromptu visit, it was also a main family holding. Any branch member imposing on his solitude there would be considered rude. Demon's took the breach of one's privacy and territory very seriously.

There was one more reason he had chosen this retreat for her. It harbored a lovely network of hot springs that bubbled up from the centre of the mountain it was built into, tunnels and water could be followed back, far into the mountain to find a warm underground lake when the weather was cold. Or she could go to the valley where the hot spring immerged into yet another lake.

She was confused when they landed on the flat roof of a stone castle she didn't recognize. She turned a questioning gaze on him, even as she sank to the ground, reveling in the stability it brought her stomach.

"You wont have Shisui and Sasuke to torment here, but there will be less eyes and protocol to follow" he said in explanation. Understanding lit her features, comprehending the meanings behind the words, things not mention but understood.

He scooped her up, and she squirmed in protest, but he just raised an eyebrow at her before she sighed and sagged back against his arms. He knew she hated being man handled, but he did not wish to wait for her to recover before moving into the castle. He was tired, hungry and wet from the spring rains they had been flying through most of the last few days. The wet didn't bother her, but the cold of the harsher climate was harder on her body. Spring was a chilly affair this far north. He on the other hand despised being wet and cold, it was opposite to his element-fire.

He set her down in the kitchen where the housekeeper -Rin- was preparing a meal for herself and the few household staff that were employed here. She bustled into a frenzied state at seeing them, quickly barking orders to the younger serving maid to put more food on.

Itachi left Sakura in Rin's capable hands. The human housekeeper would see to it that she was fed and bathed, and that she was given warmer clothing before she was led to bed chambers that had been prepared for her. Itachi himself went to soak in the hot springs first, wishing to rid himself of the cold wet clothing that leached his body heat even faster now that he was no longer keeping warm by the rigorous activity of flying.

He found her later, after a long soak, the weariness of travel beginning to weigh on him. But he was eager to examine her seal again in light of his research of the last few years. Also, he would feel better if he had laid down some wards around her room before she slept, many years of border patrol and having seen himself through several wars of varying size and devastation, he was inclined to be over careful. Just the thought of someone like Orochimaru getting his hands on her again made fury rise in him, and his eyes turn red on reflex.

He was getting attached to her. He needed to decide for himself if that was something he should be avoiding or not. Keeping himself distant during a process that would require them to spend a lot of time together would be tedious for him, but for her it would be much worse, her gentle nature would most likely be hurt by what she would perceive as an aversion to her. Was hurting her in such a manor worth it to remain unattached?

She was sprawled across the large canopy bed on her stomach, feet kicking at the air in contentment as she perused a book. He stopped in the open doorway to observe for a second, knowing if he wished keep his heart from getting involved he would have to cease this habit he had of enjoying the picture of beauty and peacefulness she made. The knowledge frustrated him, and he was reminded that he was getting in too deep to make an objective decision already.

He stepped farther into the room already subconsciously casting basic wards of the like he had used while they traveled, and she looked up from her book, smiling at him.

"I would start now, if you are agreeable." He came to a stop at the edge of the bed.

She nodded and sat up, pulling her twisted silk nightgown to rights again.

He had examined the seal again already when they were back on the boat, checking and hoping for deterioration in the absence of The Snake to maintain the seal for a good length of time. But as he had suspected Orochimaru must have tied it up in her own magic in a manor that didn't call for upkeep to keep it strong. His biggest concern was of being unable to disentangle the knots of magic from around her voice box and vocal cords without injuring her in their removal. He had already shared the dangers with her and she was game. Better to risk it than accept the fate of never being able to sing again.

He sat on the bed and crossed his legs, turning to face where she sat.

"It would be easiest if you lay down." He advised. Expressive eyes flashed brief discomfort, but she complied, laying her head on his crossed legs.

He rested calloused hands on the smooth column of her throat, resisting the urge to brush against and feel more than was necessary for his task. Both of them closed their eyes as his magic intruded upon hers. She struggled against the desire to resist and reject him, he did his best to keep his invasion as limited as possible for the task. Her past experience with those that tampered with her magic and ability was not pleasant he knew, this would be difficult for her.

He observed for a long time, using his magic to attempt to make sense of what looked like a knotted ball of yarn, wound in a nonsensical pattern, yarn that could wound and lacerate. It looked as though Orochimaru had not intended to ever undo the spell himself, but what purpose would that serve him? Itachi had assumed he had wanted to use her voice for some nefarious end, to have a Siren's voice at your disposal would be something The Snake couldn't help but be interested in, so he wouldn't have made this spell irreversible.

When he finally did move to touch the seal with his own magic, he felt Sakura stiffen under his hands. He paused, opening his eyes to find her face scrunched in discomfort.

"Does that hurt?"

She shook her head, an obvious lie, her eyes screwed shut. The silent message to keep going under her refusal to acknowledge the pain.

He obliged, doing everything he could to be oh so gentle. It had only been fifteen minutes or so when she started to tremble, withdrawing his magic he opened his eyes.

Tears of pain were leaking from the corner of her eyes, and she took a deep shuddering breath as his magic retreated. He gave into his desire to touch, rubbing soothing circles along her temples with his thumbs clearing the tears there.

"I apologize" his voice was soft.

She shook her head again, a silent 'don't be sorry' brushing off his apology.

He cocked his head, thinking. Could the pain be helped? He didn't know the reason it hurt, he wouldn't until he reached the centre of the knot and found out how it had been tied to her. He would have to look into alternate methods, if it was that painful this would be a longer process than he had originally suspected. More research would have to be done, he would look into it next time he was at the main Uchiha holdings, the library there was unparalleled by any others he knew, except maybe the Senju library.

He rose, thoughts and theories already whirring through his head.

"Rest" was his gentle command as he left, making a point of striding away with almost forceful steps, very aware of his desire to linger.

…

He buried himself in books that he had brought to this castle before he had gone to retrieve Sakura. Hoping for some enlightenment, he didn't find much, but was beginning to formulate his own plans. Was it Sakura's psyche that felt the pain or her physical? Would bringing her to a state of unconsciousness help? If it did, it would also help him narrow down how the spell was tied to her. If it was an issue of the consciousness then it was either wrapped up in her mentality, or in her magic.

His first guess would be that it had a mental foot hold, but those spells were so delicate, they could leave the recipient stripped of their sanity if the caster was not careful. He could not see Orochimaru as having any care of maintaining the sanity of his pawns, after all he was half mad himself. Sakura was in her right mind, of that he was sure.

The other option was a magic hold. This one made sense, except for the fact that Sakura had such a willy nature, the ability to slip through wards, to hide in plain sight would have made her magic incredibly difficult to pin. Unless, somehow The Snake had gained her cooperation. The thought of what kind of torture would have been involved to manage that made Itachi's hands fist, knuckles turning white at the possibility. This theory would also explain how she came to have a tracker spell on her that was based in her own magic.

He had asked her before if she had any knowledge regarding the seal he should know. She had shaken her head, had she lied, or had the Snake gained control of her magic only to attempt and memory scrub in order to keep her from attempting to unravel the mess that was tied with her own power. The possible combinations were many, narrowing down the options would help with the process.

He was deep in thought, books spread out on the desk, deep enough that he almost didn't notice Sakura until it was too late. He had pushed his chair back, turning it to face the fire that was crackling in the hearth, sitting on the seats edge, elbows on his knees, chin resting in his hands.

She went to tip the chair, intending to send him sprawling, but at that same moment he stood. The momentum she had placed into the move was suddenly too much for the resistance that she was given and she almost tumbled over the chair, a surprised gasp escaping her. Itachi turned to witness the fumble, mirth rising in his chest at the appearance of disgruntlement on her face.

He pounced, catching her in a full body tackle that she couldn't possibly defend against. His wings came out in a flurry, ripping through the thin material of the shirt he had donned as he flipped them over the fallen chair, he caught them with his wing arms on the other side, rolling along with his momentum.

When they came to a stop he propped himself above her, grinning at her befuddled expression, leathery canvass of his wings falling like a curtain around them.

"Sneaking up on a demon is not wise Sa-ku-ra." He drew out her name in a breathy whisper. Enjoying the flush of excitement, or perhaps embarrassment that coloured her cheeks.

He knew that he should be frustrated with himself for indulging in her for that moment, but he couldn't manage to be firm with himself right then. She was entirely too tempting, the urge to turn her own game against her, impossible to resist.

She bared her little fangs at him and hissed, he couldn't help but chuckle, even when she poked him in the stomach, unhappy that he was laughing at her.

"If you cannot handle being the victim, then perhaps you should not stalk me so."

She stuck out her tongue at him and turned her head to the side when he laughed again.

He used his wings to push to his feet, bringing her with him. She went to flit away, back to her games and schemes, but he held her wrist and wrapped his wings around them like a cocoon.

"You have been warned little Siren" was all he said before releasing her, more of a challenge that an actual warning. He watched her disappear through the open door of the study, smirking. He was sure he would be frustrated at himself for encouraging her later, but for now he felt only amusement.

When he showed up in her room that evening he was holding a cup of warm liquid. He sat on the bed once again, careful not to spill.

"I have a theory that if you are asleep I will be able to work faster and you will be kept from the pain." He explained, keeping from delving into the more complex theories he had regarding the subject. The herbal concoction would also help quell her magic's instinct to resist his intrusion of her body.

He gestured for her to drink the mug she picked it up warily, uncertain and cautious of the idea just as he had suspected she would be.

"This will put you to sleep, Rin says it should only last a few hours" he could read the fear in her eyes that she was trying so desperately to bury. "You need to trust my Sakura, I will let nothing harm you." She knew this already, but his words were a gentle reminder.

She took a deep breath before nodding and taking a large gulp of the brew, grimacing at the bitter taste of the herbs. Her eyes were already drooping before she had managed to drink the last of the concoction, he took the mug before it could slip from her fingers, guiding her to lay back before she collapsed. Just seconds later her eyelids fluttered and she was gone, chest rising and falling in slow, even breaths.

She didn't twitch when he delved into her with his magic this time, eliminating the possibility that this seal had indeed been tied to her physical state of being. So, it was either mental or magical, or perhaps a mix of both if she hadn't lied to him regarding knowing nothing of how the seal worked. Without her consciousness to keep her magic in line, her power struggled against him, but its resistance was token without the strength of terror from past memories to lend it frantic strength, and the herbs helping curb its desire to protect. The thought of being so vulnerable himself left him with his own dread, she was more brave than her appearance would ever credit her.

He worked for nearly three hours, fingers moving in absent circles along the skin of her cheeks and throat as he concentrated on his internal task. When she began to stir, he withdrew, sitting there silently, eyes still closed, mind coming back to him and the paths his fingers were making on soft, delicate skin. Weariness crashed over him, and he opened his eyes to find bleary green ones looking up at him.

He pulled away slowly, gently easing her head off his crossed legs. He could see the question in her eyes and answered without prompting.

"Progress is slow" he had told her it would be "but it is coming" he moved to the door. "Sleep now". She would be almost exhausted as him with the work he had done, perhaps even sore in the coming days, because though it wasn't a physical seal, the four aspects of a person, physical, mental, spiritual, and magical were closely tied together, what affected one, affected another.

He left once again with a very purposeful stride, recognizing the desire within himself to stay, to touch, to guard and hold the little creature that had trusted him so explicitly. In spite of a painful past that would leave her disinclined to trust anyone ever again. He would not abuse such a gift, and he wondered if that meant his decision of whether or not to remain distant had just been made for him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Review please. It feeds the fire of my creativity ;)


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for the positive response from readers! Keep the reviews coming people, its incredible how it feeds the imagination.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next day he took a break from his research, and the herbs he was gathering in an attempt to speed the process. He went down several flights of stairs to the hot springs that bubbled within the mountain. The sulfur of the spring was filtered by spells as it entered a large room that held pools of various sizes, but remnants of the smell still lingered. He would have to check and see if the spells needed to be renewed, or perhaps strengthened. He didn't particularly enjoy smelling of sulfur after a long soak.

He paused on the last landing on the way down, realising that the fairy lights had already been lit down here. He felt for the magic that he had placed in Sakura's wrist bands years ago. Nothing.

Suddenly his steps were slow and cautious, what was the little minx up to?

There was no way it was anyone but Sakura down here, he would have been able to smell the human servants, even above the waft of sulfur. And he had warded the castle that he might know if they had any unexpected visitors, friendly or unfriendly. The fairy lights were rigged to only light up when there was someone down here who might need them to see by. So why couldn't he feel her bands. Even if she had taken them off his magic should have told him as much.

He slipped down the remaining steps in silence, masking his presence on all four planes, physical, mental, spiritual, and magical, hoping to beat her at her own game. He slid along the wall to the last arch that lead into the large baths, angling his head that he would be able to see inside without leaving the shadows of the wall.

His breath was suddenly stuck in his throat, as he realised that Sakura wasn't gearing up to play one of her tricks on him. Or perhaps if she was she wasn't nearly so innocent, and perhaps a tad oblivious as he had suspected her of being.

She was angled away from him sitting on the edge of the pool, long pink hair pulled over her shoulder as she brushed through it, exposing her bare, pale back to him. She was lost in thought, look distant. One leg drawn up to her chest, the other still dangling in the water, kicking absently.

He discarded the thought, bashfulness was not something easily faked, innocence even harder. She had not known he was intending to come down here, if she had, he was sure she would not be down here bathing naked.

She hadn't even bothered to place wards up. She trusted. It was something he still had trouble grasping, how could she manage to give it so easily?

He was torn between whether or not to retreat now, or take advantage of the fact he had caught her unawares. Her lack of dress would not have even caused him pause had it been anybody but her, because he suspected it would greatly embarrass her he paused.

Female demonesses would often use semi public bathing area's such as this to strip down, maybe not entirely naked, but close to. Demon customs regarding modesty were quite different than the human ideas, in comparison they were almost non-existent. He didn't know where Siren's came up on that scale, if one were to take the rumors regarding their species into account it would go against everything he had seen in Sakura as far as her comfort in exposing herself.

He decided he was overthinking it, he could ask for her forgiveness later. Besides, she was adorable when she was embarrassed.

She looked up only a moment before he tackled her into the pool, eyes huge, mouth open in a shriek she couldn't utter. The pool was deep enough to submerse them both without either touching the bottom.

The moment they hit the water she contracted it around him, trying to rip herself from his grasp. He held tight, wings bursting forth to give him leverage against the current she was directing around him. She tried to drag him down to the bottom of the pool, but there wasn't enough depth there to allow her to outdistance what a few solid strokes of his wings could manage to bring him back to the surface.

He was grinning when they broke surface again. She was singularly displeased, nails digging into the bare skin of his sides, legs kicking against his, the current trying to pull them down again. Had she been in possession of her voice the fight might have been more even, but as it was he managed to supress her struggles with only minimal difficulty.

Wet wings lurched them out of the water and sprawled the pair of them on the stone edge of the pool. Itachi was careful to keep track of her wrestling limbs, pinning her flat on her back. Pink hair was everywhere, clinging to her body as well as his.

She was very unimpressed, snapping her teeth and lunging in an attempt to bite whatever part of him was within range. The smile slipped from his face as he beheld her beauty in the dim fairy lights, eyes going red that he may see better. Her anger still apparent by her glower but she quite struggling when it became apparent it would do no good, chest rising and falling in quick bursts.

She wouldn't look at him, turning her head, even as the beginnings of a fierce blush started in her cheeks and traveled downward. He lost himself in his perusal of her. Realising that perhaps this had been a bad idea simply because of his desire for her, the memory of her soft body pressed to his would not help him in the future. He could safely say in this moment that perhaps this was getting out of control.

Her tugging against his hold brought him back to the present, a silent plea to release her. He had made her feel more embarrassed than perhaps he had intended, if the shade of her face was any indication. Her discomfort was, as always, adorable.

He buried his face in her neck, he could have done this better.

"Beautiful Sa-ku-ra, such an opportunity was too tempting to pass up." He was referring to catching her unawares, but the double meaning would not be lost on her. "Forgive my intrusion." A gentle application of his teeth and tongue against the column of her neck drew a sharp breath from his captive.

He pulled her to her feet and left her there, her anger and confusion following him as he took the stares back up to the main levels, sopping pants dripping a trail behind him. A warm bath had lost its appeal, now he needed an icy dip in a creek or he would not be able to focus on his books for the remainder of the day. A good flight to burn some energy might help also.

She wasn't in her bedroom as was usual that evening, her bracelets were however. He went hunting for her, certain she would have triggered the alarms on the wards he had placed if she had actually tried to leave the premises of the castle. She was hiding from him, he couldn't allow that.

He found her in the library, one of the first places he looked. She had fallen asleep reading a book, curled up on cushions carefully arranged in a corner. She jerked to wakefulness the moment his fingers brushed against her cheek.

"Your bed would be more comfortable" he advised, voice low, watching her carefully as another brilliant blush flashed across her cheeks. "Would you rather do it here." Finger running along her seal before she pulled away from him.

She shrugged in response, leaving her book and skirting carefully around him. He followed her back to her room where she settled, back straight and shoulders squared, determined. He handed her a mix of brew that had gone cold while he quested after her, she gulped it down.

He caught her as she collapsed, starting into his work after he had taken a moment to focus his thoughts. Working on such complex magic while distracted could result in a slip-up, potentially disastrous for her.

He had to leave not long after the altercation in the hot pools. It frustrated him not to be able to resolve and move past the awkwardness that that had produced in her before he went to deal with his duties elsewhere. He knew from past experience that leaving a woman to stew in negative thoughts was a bad move. But he had been summoned, his Father had grown tired of his absence, he wished him home to assist in negotiations with the Senju court. It would be weeks, maybe a month before he found the time to return.

He went to inform her of her imminent departure, finding her in the blooming castle gardens, attempting to coax hesitant birds from the branches. The hardy mountain breeds were nothing special, normally quite skittish, but even without her voice she had managed to get within arms reach of them, little bits of bread being used as the bait.

She didn't let him sneak up on her any longer, a fact he regretted but only half heartedly. He was going to enjoy doing some coaxing of his own when it came to this cagey little Siren.

She waited for him to speak, disappointed that the birds had flown as he approached, he didn't think it was disappointment in his presence, she hadn't shown any true aversion to him, even when he had made her uncomfortable. She stood and faced him, posture straight and proper of the like that seemed stiff in her form, overly formal.

"I must return to the main holdings" he informed her, voice soft, eyes attentive to her body language. "I have duties that must be seen to."

She nodded slowly, not meeting his gaze. It bothered him, and he placed a hand under her chin, advancing as she made to pull away. She was not permitted to avoid him, he would not give her the opportunity. One of his wings slid in behind her so that she could not back away from him, lifting her chin so that her face was upturned, she still refused to allow her eyes to meet his.

"I shall be away for several weeks. You may remain here, I would offer to bring you with me, but the circumstances of my return are ones you would hardly find pleasant." She nodded in acceptance of that, shrugging away from the fingers under her chin. "I would ask you to wear the bracelets, it would assure me of your safety, but it is your decision."

He left her that way, still avoiding his gaze. It irked him, but really it was his own fault, he didn't know how to make a quick fix aside from kissing her good and soundly, and at this stage he didn't know if that would help or make things worse. Best to save that technique for when he was around to see to its result.

He left brief instructions with Rin, informing her of his intended space of absence and basic tasks he wished done before he returned; one of which was outfitting the little Siren with an appropriate wardrobe according to Sakura's taste's. He was sure she would cooperate with such a task better if he was not present and Rin was organizing and orchestrating it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Here is the fluff that people wanted. Hope you enjoyed, drop me a line tell me if you liked it, let me know what you want to see in this story.

Review please.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for the reviews people. As always continue to give feed back.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

His work back at the palace was just as tedious as he expected it to be. Long meetings where the negotiations of land rights, pasture rights, mineral rights with the land that was the indistinct border between them and the Senju. Tariffs, border patrols and the policing of the other races in their territories were issues that the Uchiha discussed and rehashed with their neighbors every three to five years.

Demons were touchy about their territory, and none of them were keen for a war, or for making an excuse to go to war. They were all made weaker for it. Thus, these discussions were taken quite seriously, but Itachi just couldn't manage to engage himself in their intricacies as he had in the past. His mind was far away, immersed in the delicate strands of magic that bound Sakura in her silence.

He found himself distanced from important issues by thoughts of smooth skin under his fingers, of a blush flushing her skin a color to match her hair. In his few free moments he perused the library, looking for relevant facts that would help him release her voice.

He found himself frustrated, less by his distraction, and more by the distance she was from him. For the most part he was incredibly patient, this restlessness was unfamiliar to him. It didn't take any time at all for him to regret not bringing her with him in spite of all the good reasons he had left her behind.

"So, what were you doing all this time?" probed Shisui one morning.

They had taken an early morning flight to a nearby mountaintop. Shisui was rather chipper despite the interruption to his regularly late sleeping schedule, leading Itachi to believe he had come along just to badger and question. Itachi sighed.

"Doing research," He replied vaguely. It wasn't a complete lie, part of his time had been researching how to rid Sakura of the seal. Perhaps the rest could be considered research too, he certainly analyzed the pink haired beauty enough to consider it so. The point was however, that Shisui considered research to be painfully boring, and hopefully that would stop the questions before they could manage to truly start.

"On what?" pressed the elder cousin, persistent and nonchalant in a manor that suggested he was anything but. Was he suspicious?

Suddenly all of Itachi's relatively baseless frustration threatened to dump itself on his overly nosey cousin. He didn't want Shisui in his business, he wanted to keep Sakura to himself in an entirely selfish way, that he didn't feel the need to justify to his cousin or even himself. He didn't indulge in allowing his temper to show though, he replied in a remote tone, hoping to throw Shisui off the scent of something interesting.

"The effects of blood magic on certain types of flora and fauna." He replied, attempting to pick a topic Shisui would find droll, but not so bad as to be unrealistic.

"And what were your findings?" Itachi raised a brow in question, Shisui was never this interested in mere research. The older male pointedly ignored the silent question, waiting for a response.

"Inconclusive as of yet," replied Itachi truthfully.

"Ah"

That was the end of it, Shisui let the subject drop as they observed the rising of the sun. The beautiful colors reminding him of Sakura, and he couldn't help but think she would have loved to see this them. He was also reminded of the time she had coaxed him into viewing the setting of the sun with her.

His frustration resurfaced and abruptly he took off, without waiting for the sun to climb its way fully into the sky. Something would have to be done about his agitation, or more than Shisui would catch on to the fact that something was bothering him. Perhaps a spar later on, the thought of taking the wind out of his bothersome cousin's wings with a few well-placed hits did a little to improve his mood.

In the end, he had to stay for nearly six weeks in totall just to throw off Shisui's curiosity, deliberately going out of his way to spend a good portion of time researching in the library in those final two weeks. Time technically well spent, but he was becoming antsy.

Slipping away was more difficult because of the obligations and responsibilities he held to his Father and the clan. Getting away from said responsibilities was more difficult than getting away without the notice of his cousin. But when he was finally flying back he felt a lightness in his chest he didn't know how to identify or objectify.

The first thing he noticed when he was getting close was that she was wearing the magic bracelets again. Strange, he would have thought his absence would have given her more time to become alienated from him. The thought that she may attempt to take off had occurred to him in his more pessimistic moments, even though he held a strong conviction that she would stick around to see this to the end. Her not having her voice he imagined would be akin to him not having his wings.

The reason for it became clearer the closer he got. She was no longer was at the castle, she was somewhere in the valley, she had used the bracelet to circumvent the wards around the castle without setting off the alarms he had attuned to her presence and magical signature. She was crafty, again he marveled at that fact. So different from females that he seemed to rub shoulders with on a more regular basis.

He followed the pulse of magic to the valley below the castle, and the lake that sparkled there in the summer sun. He didn't bother to cloak his presence, as he descended in lazy arcs, coming to rest on the rocky beach, scanning the water for a glimpse of pink.

She didn't disappoint and just a minute later she bobbed to the surface a good distance from shore. Her approach was slow, ducking under the surface to reappear several yards closer. He wasn't in a hurry, and she looked to be playing the wary card. Fair enough.

She stopped not too far out.

"Hello," he greeted gently. She nodded in return greeting.

"Scared of me Sakura?" he asked jumping to the heart of the issue. There was a pause before she shook her head, his eyes flashed red as he tried to analyze her expression. Her eyebrows were furrowed in contemplation of him.

' _you said you would be back_ _sooner'_

Ah, so that was at the heart of the issue now.

"I apologize, I was detained by research…and a nosey Shisui" he added as an afterthought. Understanding dawned on her face and she made a sudden shift to sheepishness.

He smiled at her, an honest to goodness smile. He didn't bother to hide it, he felt a freedom here, with her, that he had never felt, even with his own family. It was strange. She gave him back a hesitant smile of her own.

He reached down to undo the clasps on his special made leather vest, finding amusement in the look on her face as he reached down to remove his leather boots. First confusion, brief understanding, before embarrassment flushed her cheeks when he moved to remove his pants.

Diving into the crisp mountain water was refreshing after flying double time to get here. She was diving away from him, a flash of pink underwater, he followed, great strides of his wings did lots to keep up with her. But the water was her element and she skimmed away from him, long pink hair streaming behind her.

She was dressed in what he considered as more normal Siren garb. Not nearly so covering as per usual, but perhaps this was her solution to no longer bathing naked, even when she considered herself safely alone and unobserved.

He couldn't use the water around him to garner oxygen as she could, so eventually he had to surface, pulling in huge draughts of air, drinking in the late afternoon sunshine and the beauty of their surroundings. When he felt the tugging on his legs he knew she had gotten into the spirit of his mood and he was grateful that she was no longer so awkward with him, or at least she was trying to move past it.

The pull of a sudden current jerked him below the surface and he allowed it to take him, she pulled him lower and lower, down to the bottom of the lake where the spring rose up from the base of the mountain. The water pressure grew and his lungs constricted but he wasn't worried. Sakura had trusted him many a time, this was an opportunity for him to allow her to control a situation.

She appeared out of the gloom of the lake bottom. A sudden desire to hold her, to feel her caught him a bit off guard. She swam closer, skin and hair casting a luminescence from the distant light of the sun far above.

Suddenly he could breath, air forming and pushing into his lungs from the water around him. He took and deep breath and suddenly lunged for Sakura. She grinned and slipped out of his reach, slicing through the water with an ease that should have been impossible without fins.

It was an unfair game of cat and mouse; the water was her element like the sky was his. He was following after her, large strokes of his wings pushing him along. She led him down into the mountain, following a convoluted network of underwater caves that led back under the castle.

The moment they surfaced on the rocks of an underground beach he pounced, pinning the pink haired mouse against the wall of the cave. Red eyes surveying her without impediment in the dark, drinking in her features even while he reigned in his urges.

The water around his legs swirled in agitation but the beautiful siren just panted, catching her breath, eyes closed.

He wasn't prepared for the way the water yanked out his legs from under him. It took but a moment for him to find himself on his back in shallow water the Siren straddling him, grin triumphant. The move was so in keeping with her playful nature that he laughed, a full laugh that started in his belly and worked up.

"Is this a challenge Sa-ku-ra?" he crooned when his laughter finally subsided. Her brow furrowed and she shook her head.

 _Success,_ the word her lips formed had him laughing again. Confusion rose in her features, she hadn't the foggiest clue what he found so funny.

She went to push away from him but he caught her hips and pulled her back down. He used his wing arms to push himself up into a sitting position so that they were nose to nose.

"Perhaps I am not opposed to you having a little success Sa-ku-ra if this is the result" his voice was low and he knew the moment she again became aware of the fact that they were both dressed in the equivalent of underwear. The red staining her cheeks and creeping down her neck would not have been visible in the darkness save for the fact he had his sharingan on. Watching the blush spread, he felt a form of satisfaction that he once again couldn't define, perhaps because this situation for him was a new and interesting one as well.

He allowed her to stand but caught her hand before she could dive back into the water. She tugged for her hand back, unhappy with him.

"Oh no you don't, you don't get to run away from me this time." He tugged her along up onto the rocky beach. "Come, Rin must have the evening meal ready now"

He pulled her along through a network of caves and tunnels, working his way up to where the baths for the castle were. Ushering her up the stairs to the main levels, ensuring that she didn't have the opportunity to bolt back to the water.

He was certain she didn't have a grasp on how truly beautiful she actually was, her shy nature contrasted with her slyness quiet nicely. Not to mention the fact that those legs were all but calling for him to touch them. The bare plane of her stomach and back, wet pink hair sticking to it. Hips swaying as she climbed the steps with a bit of an attitude, unimpressed with what he was sure she would deem as manhandling.

He waited until she closed the door of her bedroom, smirking when she stuck out her tongue at him in indignation. Proceeding on to his own chambers to find a change of clothes that he may be presentable for the evening meal.

They resumed work on her seal the following day, most of the morning found the pair of them sprawled across her four-poster bed. Her comatose, him drawing patterns along the soft skin of her throat absently, eyes closed in concentration.

The knots were slowly coming undone in the face of his careful patience. Magic that could slice and rend falling in harmless loops to be absorbed back into the main body of her magic. Soon, very soon she would have her song back.

Withdrawing his magic from her, he sat back, mind turning over that reality again and again. How would having her voice change things? Would it? He certainly hoped not. Would she want to leave when what he had promised her was complete? Again, he hoped not. Perhaps he would have to double his efforts to be convincing her to stay.

Watching her rouse from slumber was something he would place on the same scale as watching the sun set. Lashes flutter, impossibly green eyes open and she yawns with an abandon that would not be considered proper by court born ladies of nearly every species he had encountered. He stifled a smile, it wouldn't do for her to think he was laughing at her.

He saw the question in her eyes, in her furrowed pink brows.

"Not yet, but soon. Your voice is nearly yours again." She grinned, enthusiasm wiping away the last of the sleeping drug.

The following weeks were filled with innocent fun, he would read with her out in the garden, lounging and enjoying the sun while she whistled to the mountain birds, beckoning them closer. She was friends with all the cats that roamed the castle, all of them loved to come and cuddle with her, and she obliged them with pets and snuggles.

They went down to the little village a half days walk down the valley. Sakura seemed to have many friends here too, and not just among the animals. The humans were happy to see her, calling out greetings that he suspected were significantly subdued because of his presence. An Uchiha was entirely too distinctive, and given this was his families territory he wouldn't get away with being just another pretty face, they knew him for his power. For this moment, standing next to Sakura, he didn't have a problem with that, best that they know she was with him.

He coaxed her out flying with him only once. Mostly it was for himself, he was quickly enraptured by the excuse to hold her close once again. Her stomach still didn't agree with the twists and turns of the air.

Their last session was in the sun, sprawled out on the grass in the valley, not too far from the lake. When she roused, he was observing her attentively.

"Would you allow me to be the first to hear you sing little Siren?" he asked. She shivered and opened her mouth.

"M-my s-s-song" her voice was wobbly, a rasp from years of disuse. She startled herself, the look of utter surprise on her face brought a laugh out of him.

"Well, well, well what have we here?"

Sakura jumped, Itachi rolled over in a more sedate manor, giving his cousin a sour look. Of all the moments Shisui could have spoiled, why did it have to be this one.

The elder Uchiha was entirely too smug and Itachi could feel the unaffected look he adopted specifically for his cousin slip over his features. Reactions were what his cousin lived off of, what had him coming back for more.

Sakura had scrambled away, her flight instinct kicking in long before she registered that it was Shisui. Or maybe it was because it was Shisui that she dove into the lake waters, disappearing into its depths, leaving Itachi to deal with the too-smug Uchiha.

"Was that entirely necessary?" Itachi asked finally, suppressing a sigh.

"I figured you weren't just doing _research_ ,"

"I didn't figure you wanted a play by play of my personal life" was Itachi's dry response.

"Its like you don't know me at all little cousin." Shisui's held a hand to his heart in mock offence.

Itachi stood to his feet, brushing off his clothes, before turning to walk back to the castle grounds. Already he was wondering how long it would take to get rid of Shisui. Significantly shorter if Sakura chose to remain elusive. In the mean time, he had to put up with the elder demons taunting.

Entertaining Shisui was a task Itachi never had bothered to undertake, Shisui was quite good at keeping himself occupied. Really the opposite was true, when his elder cousin was like this it was best to avoid him, and when that became an impossibility the other option was to lead him to a state of complete boredom. A task somewhat more easily accomplished given the crafty demon's rather limited attention span.

"So, this is where you have been spending all this time?" Shisui marveled as Itachi settled himself in a comfortable chair in the library content to read till Shisui tired of his prodding.

"Hn" was Itachi's only response.

"Get very far on taking the curse off the Siren?"

Itachi lifted his eyes from his book in blank surprise. So Shisui hadn't heard Sakura's first two words. That could definitely be to his benefit, or more accurately, to her benefit. Perhaps getting rid of Shisui would be easier if he allowed Sakura to do it. The thought brought him great amusement that he was careful to keep from reaching his face. Shisui knew him better than anyone, except for maybe Sasuke, he would be able to read the smallest emotional inflection in his features.

"Hn" was his only response.

"I'll take that as a no" Shisui perused the bookshelves idly, stepping back to flip through a stack of books Itachi had piled on the desk.

The assumption that he had been unsuccessful rankled Itachi's pride, more than Shisui's sneaking up on them did. Itachi's patience wouldn't take long to wear thin if Shisui continued to insult him in such a manor. This was Itachi's territory, he had clearly marked it out with warding spells, but Shisui, of any demon he knew, was the least likely to recognize common etiquette. Rising to the slight now would only prove to the nosey demon that there was something here he felt protective of, and any fool who knew anything about him would know it wasn't the landscape that held the significance.

"Must have found something you liked in the little Siren to go back for her after so long" Shisui pressed, drawing conclusions and assumptions that were sure to rankle the Uchiha heir.

"Hn"

The lack of response finally drew a scowl from Shisui.

"Figured she was better between the sheets than any other partner?" another assumption, looking to bring a rise from the younger male.

"Hn" neither yes nor no. Itachi was being far more successful at riling Shisui.

"Well I am going to go down to the baths, I do expect to see the little pink haired imp at the evening meal"

Itachi almost smirked, but managed to keep his face neutral even as Shisui examined his features. Shisui might see Sakura sooner than that, then again, he might never see her coming.

Shisui descended the stone steps down to the baths, not bothering to awaken the fairy lights, relying on his Sharingan to navigate his way through the black. A tuneless whistle proceeded him, along with the foolish assumption that he was alone down in the lower portions of the mountain.

He had left his clothing in his room, there was no one here to impress with decency. Or so he thought, Sakura was still down at the lake, he would have noticed if she came up the winding mountain path. Ignorance was his downfall.

He had already lounging in the warm water when the haunting song started. So quiet at first that it could hardly be heard above the gurgling of the spring cycling fresh water into the pools. It rose in volume and by the time he sat upright to better hear and take note of the haunting strains he had already been snared under her compulsion.

The music gained strength, and Shisui abruptly became aware of the way his limbs were beginning to drag. He swore and jerked upright in the water, splashing to the edge and attempting to haul himself out with clumsy fingers. He slipped and fell with a splash back into the water, cursing again. He sharingan flickered off and his eyelids drooped. He sank back, struggling with the betrayal of his body.

She appeared then, all he could see was her bare feet as the stalked forward. Only the gurgle of water and the painful beauty of her song could be heard. Then he was gone beneath the tide of his subconscious.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

So enters Shisui. Nothing from Sakura's POV yet folks, sorry. Maybe next chapter.

So I have recently gotten onto Tumblr and am starting to figure things out over there. Please go check me out, I am posting story prompts and the like from stories of my own. If there is a demand for it I might post some Sakura/Itachi prompts over there. Or maybe people could send me prompts for this pairing that they would like me to write a story for. I work mostly in Fantasy AU, but that is pretty flexible, let me know what you wanna see and if I am feeling inspired I might post some more stories here. My name is LinzEJoe over there. Drop me a line, but have patience with me, I have no idea what I am doing over there yet.

R&R


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks for the reviews people :) keep them coming.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The sense of disorientation that Shisui experienced upon waking was extreme. More so because of his intensely unfamiliar surroundings, and the flabbergasted knowledge that he shouldn't be able to breath surrounded by water as he was. But he was and the knowledge terrified him.

Certainty that he was going to drown (a secret childhood fear) caused his breathing to escalate into near hyperventilation.

"I wouldn't do that" her voice seemed to float through the water with an ease that should have been as impossible as his ability to breath it in. "If you take in too much air you will max out the spell and begin to inhale water."

His hands were tangled in a mass of what must have been twine caught and wrapped among giant boulders strewn across the floor of the lake. His wings, for some reason were not coming, though he strained against the normally thin magical barrier they were placed beyond. His head began to pound as he struggled both physically and magically.

The next warning came in the form of a trickle of water into his lunges. He ceased his struggle to cough, attempting not to drown himself, and deliberately calming himself when her warning finally registered in his brain.

"Do you think Itachi is missing you yet?" she mused, floating closer, hair coiling about her on colorful display. She cocked her head at him thoughtfully as he did his best to calm his rapid breathing and slow his heartrate. "I suppose thanks are in order Shisui. If you had never found me in the land of mist and brought me to Itachi, I would have never received my voice back"

"Well you certainly have a funny way of showing gratitude" Shisui snapped. He didn't believe that gentle, playful Sakura, with her pranks and mostly harmless fun was actually morally capable of drowning him. Her head cocked in the other direction, analyzing him like a rare species of fish, unconcerned with his anger.

"Oh, make no mistake, I am thankful. But I thought it best to warn you that I wont be played with again. I am no gift to be given, nor will I be the butt of any such joke of yours ever again." She paused "am I clear?" her voice was not angry, but it was forged in steel, she would not be messed with in such a manner again now that she had her voice back, she would be no ones' pawn.

Shisui didn't respond, still steaming in anger, glaring at her. She looked to the surface.

"Perhaps I should give you some time to think about it" she pondered aloud. An unspoken threat, covered in gentle words.

"NO!" Shisui's response was a little too fast, he knew the moment it escaped him.

She turned to analyze him once more, not smiling at his fear or weakness. She didn't do this lightly, she was not here to mock a superiority over him, just to ensure he would never attempt to trade her as commodity again, she was not a thing to be bought or sold.

"Are you in understanding of this then?" she pressed.

"I am" he ground out, glaring daggers at her all the while.

"Good" and with that she cut him free. The spell she had placed that allowed him to breath was gone and he was left desperately kicking for the surface. She gave him a hand with a strong current when his desperation became obviously .

When he had dragged himself out onto the bank he whirled back to where she was still standing in the shallows.

"What have you done to my wings?"

"The compulsion should wear off shortly, until then perhaps it will be good for you to do without something you view so highly, and be grateful that it is for so short a period. Some humility would do all of you Uchiha a load of good."

With that last bit of advice, she was gone, back into the water, and likely to a warm meal. Leaving Shisui to his long, chilly walk in the evening mountain air back to the castle, butt naked. Itachi was going to garner great amusement from this.

He ground his teeth and started walking, wondering what the Siren had meant by a _little while_. Oh, yes Itachi was going to love this.

…..

Sakura found her way through the underground caves, winding back to the baths. Flitting up the stairs to the main levels of the castle, humming to herself, eager to talk to Itachi, eager to go to the garden and sing to the birds. Excitement bubbled up in her throat, Shisui was long gone from her mind by the time she hit the stairs. She had made her point, she was no longer vulnerable and wouldn't be mocked as lesser, or sold at his convenience ever again. She was confident he had understood and already her thoughts had flitted to the next thing.

She was so happy, enthusiasm that could hardly be contained. Her progress up the stairs could almost have been called dancing by the time she reached the top, and so absorbed was she by this unquenchable joy that she didn't notice Itachi leaning against the wall at the top of the stairs.

His voice brought her to an abrupt halt.

"Tell me that I don't have to go rescue Shisui"

His accurate reading of her had a blush rising in her cheeks. She shook her head slowly. He pushed off the wall and stalked toward her. Had she not been standing at the top of the steps she would have backed up, but she couldn't afford to sacrifice height when she squared off against the tall demon.

He stopped just inside her personal bubble as he always seemed to, and she glanced over her shoulder, reconsidering retreating down the stairs. He was pulling her attention back to him in the next moment with a finger under her chin, blocking her only means of escape with one black leathery wing.

"Use your words, Sa-ku-ra" his voice was deep and husky, breath ghosting across her face. "I thought I would be given the privilege of your first song, but I guess I will have to settle for your second."

Her heart was beating in the funny manner that it always did when he invaded her space like this. She pulled her face free from his grip, she needed as much distance from him that she could garner if she was going to think and match wits with him. He also seemed to do funny things to her brain, she wasn't overly fond of the incapacitation.

"Shisui wont remember much of it, and what he does wont be a fond recollection" her voice was breathy and made her sound more affected than she wanted. She had forgotten how a voice could give you away, suddenly she felt vulnerable, like a part of her had been peeled back for Itachi's keen eyes to peruse.

"I certainly hope you don't pay me the same favor you paid him" her face turned questioning and he elaborated "I saw him walking very slowly up the path from the lake. I do intend to use this as blackmail in the future. He knows that, and it makes it all the more entertaining." There was laughter in his voice, and she couldn't help but be coaxed into a grin.

Abruptly he turned, grabbing her hand and tugging her along down the hall. She tugged for her hand back, he knew that she hated it when anyone man handled her. Instead of letting go he explained.

"I had Rin set up supper in the garden, I thought it would be an ideal place to witness Shisui's shame at its best"

She laughed then, and he grinned back at her over his shoulder. She thought it unlike Itachi to be so enthusiastic about her mischief, but then he had been that way since they had arrived at this castle. Was it the privacy that brought out the playful side of the normally stern and straight faced demon? Whatever it was, she was honored to be able to see it, he was much more fun like this, and she found herself enjoying his presence more and more.

The pair of them sat before a lovely meal in the garden, some of the servants had set out lamps to see by, as the long dusk of the mountains settled over them. Shisui's pale skin could still be seen as he toiled up the rocky path, bare feet unused to such a trek. As he grew closer his cursing proceeded him and they were both left smirking at his creative exclamations of pain.

Sakura casually sipped her soup when Shisui finally limped up, his scowl was truly impressive, eyes dark with anger. Itachi leaned back in his chair, observing his cousin with a sort of retribution that didn't need to be mentioned.

"Did you learn something Shisui?"

Shisui's expression darkened further, but for once he remained silent. Sakura cocked her head at him.

"Itachi is available to take you back down to the bottom if you haven't" she commented lightly, taking another dainty sip of the delicious soup.

"That wont be necessary" he grit out, plunking down in the empty chair the servants had provided for his eventual arrival.

She thought it strange that he had no problem coming to eat while in the nude. Rin had explained to her the somewhat more lax standards of modesty that demons held than what she was accustomed to. It had helped her to understand Itachi's actions in a different light, it also allowed her to keep her bashfulness at Shisui's nakedness from showing. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of making her uncomfortable, this was her revenge and she wouldn't see it ruined by a silly thing like embarrassment. The dim light made it easier to hide the blush that wished to crawl across her cheeks. She just couldn't seem to manage to keep from flushing around Uchiha males, what was wrong with her.

Itachi kept the conversation going, a task he had seemed to become more adept at during his time spent with Sakura in her silence. He proceeded as though nothing was strange.

Shisui ate quickly and quietly in sullen silence. When he had finished, he stood abruptly, Sakura was careful to remain absorbed in her meal. When he had gone, Itachi spoke again, his tone wry.

"I must commend your creativity."

"He wont do that again. Buy and sell women"

Itachi gave her a considering look.

"Perhaps you should stick around to remind him" that brought her pause. He was suddenly much more sober "do you intend to stay Sakura? Or will you leave now that you have your voice back?"

"I don't know," her voice was hardly more than a whisper "I haven't thought about it yet" his voice was equally quiet when he responded.

"Please tell me when you do decide little Sakura, and know that I will be doing everything within my power to convince you to stay"

That statement was shocking, catching her totally off guard. He was looking at her waiting for an answer, not letting her avoid the statement, so she nodded in acceptance. That didn't appease him, and his gaze flashed red when she suspected he wished to make her uncomfortable, he seemed to do that a lot.

"I will" her voice gave away her discomfort once again and she was left with the disconcertion that vulnerability brings. This response satisfied him, and he with that he stood.

"I will see you in the morning then. Goodnight Sakura."

She watched his departure, all smooth grace and predators walk, memorizing it. Her thoughts hadn't really ventured past what she would do when she got her voice back, she hadn't allowed them to. Now it was here and she was completely at a loss as to what direction she should be thinking of heading. Itachi wanted her to stay, why and to what end? Did he enjoy having a pet Siren around.

No, she cut that thought off short. Itachi had been good to her, successfully disproving every rumor she had ever heard regarding the wild demon species. He had never forced her to do anything she hadn't wanted, his lack of decency in different settings was due mostly to their difference in culture. Really how could she accuse him of indecency with his actions in the baths when she had done nothing but encourage him.

Perhaps that was the problem, was she sending the wrong messages. What sort of things had he interpreted her actions to mean. Was he just playing with her like she thought, or perhaps he wished for something more. She hoped not, demons hardly ever settled down with life mates, a rarity that kept the reproduction of their race to a minimum. Many species, including demons couldn't reproduce without forming a life bond. She wouldn't be just some fling, when she picked a partner it would be for life.

Itachi needed to know with certainty that she had absolutely no intention of taking their friendly relationship to the bedroom. The very last thing she needed was some sort of attachment issues with a very powerful demon heir. With her voice back she didn't really fear Itachi, Shisui, Sasuke or anyone else taking advantage of her. But maybe she needed to make tracks before the situation changed. Anonymity was going to bring her more protection than her voice ever could….She needed to put some thought into the situation, it could be avoided no longer.

Morning found her observing the sunrise, perched on a tree branch in the garden. She sang to the birds now and they came willingly to her with none of their former reservations. Chittering happily in her hair, on her shoulders, and socializing on the branches all about her. Their happy chirruping bringing a pleasant backdrop to her song.

It was her companions sudden fluttering to escape that alerted her to Itachi. She whirled about almost slipping off her branch to find Itachi pulling himself up behind her.

"Don't stop" he encouraged "I just wish to listen too"

She was suddenly self conscious, brought to bashfulness by his interest. It was one thing to catch Shisui unawares, catching him in the web of her song, it was quite another to let another listen just for the sake of it. Letting listeners hear her sing just for the pleasure of it had been what got her into a seal bind in the first place, and she was wary of allowing it to happen again. But she did owe Itachi, he had freed her without payment, what else did she have to give him but her song.

She sang, no words just music and tone, a lullaby her mother had sung to her as a child. Itachi closed his eyes and leaned back against the trunk in a display of trust that constricted her heart. The birds returned, Itachi remained still and they perched all over him also. The sight was too funny and she couldn't quiet repress the giggle that bubbled up her throat.

His eyes cracked open at the disruption to her music, to find out what amused her so, only to find her laughing at the picture he made. One or two of the servants wandered out in the garden, they too were transfixed by the call of her song that echoed through the stone halls.

When finally she stopped, a wave of self-consciousness washed over her and she averted her eyes in bashful discomfort.

"lovely" Itachi's praise was a low rumble in his throat, and she felt herself flush at the praise, would she never stop such transparent displays around this man?

She shouldn't have looked away, because then she would have seen him pounce. Really she knew him well enough by now that such a thing was almost expected, but somehow he managed to continually catch her off guard.

He bore them into the sky, her stomach dropping away in a similar manor to the ground that receded from them. Her gasp expelled all the air in her lungs and it was without thought that she was clutching at the arms wrapped around her waist, ensuring that they wouldn't suddenly release and drop her to her death.

"Itachi, put me down!" she ordered over the rush of the wind, once she was certain she wasn't going to lose the contents of her stomach.

"Poor choice of words Sa-ku-ra" he crooned in her ear, making as if he would do as requested. She shrieked, twisting in his grasp that she might clench her arms about his waist. If his chuckle was anything to go by, that was exactly what he had wished her to do.  
"You are entirely to pleased by this" she muttered into his chest when she had recovered herself. Somehow, he heard her above the whipping wind.

"Yes, I am" he smiled down at her, making her wish to avoid those eyes of his, even with them black in shade they seemed to pierce right through her. Seeing too much of who she was.

"See if I sing for you ever again" she grumped, avoiding his eyes. He laughed that time, a free sound snatched away by the wind.

Itachi returned her to the garden in short order, where the pair of them turned to lounging about in the late summer sunshine, reading books. They weren't actively avoiding Shisui, and he found them soon after he woke up, which was approaching the noon meal.

Sakura squinted at him, assessing his sleepy-eyed look with amusement.

"The beast has awakened" she taunted. He scowled at her, flashing fangs in a sneer that she couldn't find menacing when all she could see in her minds eye was his sour trip up the mountain path the night before. It was dangerous to become complacent, she needed to remember he was a very powerful demon, and she had made a potential enemy of him.

He snipped an order at one of the attending servants to bring him breakfast.

"No," Itachi stopped them "It will be the midday meal shortly, you may eat with us or you will eat nothing at all. Do not forget that you are an uninvited guest here Shisui, do not pretend to become comfortable in ordering around my staff." Itachi didn't even look up from his book while he delivered the reprimand.

Shisui mood grew darker still, posture stiff and jerky as he flopped into an elaborate carved chair at the table. Sakura was suddenly interested, if there was one thing demons were known for it was their territory disputes. To see such a subtle display among such close family was fascinating to her.  
"You were the one shirking your duties at home, I only volunteered to come find you" Shisui groused. Itachi did raise his eyes at that one, Sakura payed close attention while trying to appear as if she wasn't.

"Did father instruct me to come home"

"It was your mother" Shisui admitted grudgingly. Itachi raised his eyebrows, daring his cousin to elaborate on that. "She's worried about your undefined absence."

"Did you tell her I was conducting research?"

"Even I didn't believe that," he snapped "how was I legitimately supposed to pass that one off on her"

"It is true" _that's how_. Was left unspoken.

"Uh-hu sure it is" the last part was muttered.

Shisui was being careful not to push his luck, not to push and accuse even when he could have had the advantage in their argument. Sakura was curious as to why, she had never witnessed Shisui restraining himself in such a way before. She cast a glimpse back at Itachi, studying the lines of his body, and recognizing the readiness in his posture even as he calmly turned the page.

Oh. This was a fight just boiling under the surface. Males of any species tended toward physical fighting to solve differences, demon males exponentially so. Suddenly she was uncomfortable, being present during such a family tiff.

"If the pair of you plan on fighting, please take it away from the garden" she spoke up, careful to moderate her voice so she sounded neither flippant or severe. She took her cues from Itachi and kept her eyes scrolling over words on the page in front of her though she was no longer actually reading.

"Upset your delicate female sensibilities?" sneered Shisui. Two things happened in that moment, she looked up from her book and Itachi went deadly still, the kind that a predator goes just before he pounces.

"Most definitely" was her mild reply, trying to defuse the suddenly very tense situation. The seconds seem to stretch on forever before Itachi spoke.

"While you find yourself as an uninvited guest here Shisui, it would serve you well to moderate what comes out of your mouth a little better, or I will see to it that nothing does. I have done some research on muting spells as of late and find myself in possession of a bit of useful knowledge"

Had the atmosphere not been so tense Sakura would have laughed at those words. Itachi's sense of humor appeared at the strangest of moments. The cloud of anger hovering around Shisui grew.

She decided that if one of them did snap she didn't want to be caught in the middle. Standing to her feet she brushed off the loose flowing trousers she wore, marking her spot in her book with a finger.

"I am going to wash up before lunch" she announced, leaving with deliberately unhurried steps. The two behind her remained in their face off, like two tom cats with all their fur standing on end, the image made her stifle a giggle.

The fight didn't happen immediately, she wasn't there when one of them finally did snap. The only evidence that it ever did happen was a quickly healing bruise darkening the skin around Shisui's eye. Neither of their attitudes changed, both still remained prickly until Shisui left, four days after his initial arrival.

She couldn't say she would be sad to see him go. She preferred the uncomplicated atmosphere of the castle when he was not present, Itachi was way too tense to be any fun with the other male around. Avoiding both of the sulky demons proved to be more difficult than she would have thought possible with so much space at her disposal.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Here is the Sakura's POV that some people were asking for, and a little bit of Shisui's too. I am not a huge fan of Sakura POV, I am enjoying Itachi's so it will probably go back to that in the next chapter.

Once again with the salesman pitch, I recently got a tumblr account and am posting some story prompts on there. Look up linzejoe. A lot of the prompts on there have actual story's that are at least partially written and I may be encourage to post chapters of them somewhere if people are interested and give me some feedback. Please look me up, and feel free to send me some fanfiction prompts. When I finish this story I may try my hand at some one or two shot fantasy settings with ita/saku.

As always please review.


	6. Chapter 6

Thanks for reading!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shisui had hardly been gone a few hours, when Itachi went to find Sakura. He had taken a flight far afield his normal perimeter to assure himself that his cousin had truly left, before going to seek the Siren out. It proved to be more difficult to find her than usual and he came to the quick realization that she was avoiding the tension between him and Shisui.

He eventually did find her in the little human village, a rambunctious gaggle of children surrounded her, and where in the process of begging her for one more song. The smile on her face and at the sound of her laugh, caused him to pause out of view in an alley masking his presence. Human children tended to scare at his company, just as her mountain bird friends did, he didn't want to interrupt her moment. He indulged in the sight of her, sharingan flicking on to better observe.

She sang again at their urging, and he had no doubt he was just as enrapt with her as the children who ranged all around where she had settled herself. At its conclusion, many of the children were called away for the evening meal. They scattered, calling farewell to each other and to Sakura, bidding her come visit again soon. She just smiled and shooed them off.

He stepped in behind her and her smile slipped a bit when she caught sight of him.

"Why are you here?" she asked, slightly wary. He was a bit caught off guard by her standoffish attitude.

"Looking for you?"

"Why?"

"I wish to know if you are staying?" he answered, cutting right to the chase. She sighed and her shoulders slumped, she turned and headed down the main road of the village, heading back toward the castle. He fell into step beside her.

They walked in silence for a long while, he didn't want to rush her into giving the answer that he was really looking for. She always seemed to bring out impatience in him, a trait that he hadn't ever struggled with before, even in childhood. He was still struggling to define what that meant.

"Why do you care?" she asked at last. Not looking at him, but eyes firmly concentrated on the rocky road as it quickly turned into nothing more than a winding path.

"Because I wish for you to stay." She sighed, exasperated with him, casting an unimpressed look his way. The second it had left his mouth he knew it wasn't what she was looking for, he had not deliberately meant to sound so dense.

"Yes, but why?"

It was his turn to allow the silence to stretch, and he found himself turning to the argument within himself that he had not yet managed to resolve. That was the question wasn't it. For what reason did he seek her to stay close? He found that he didn't have an answer.

He wanted her to stay because he could hardly contemplate something else happening to her. There was plenty of scum in the world, just because they had taken care of Orochimaru didn't mean that she couldn't be acquired again by some equally twisted specimen. She had proved herself capable of defence and attack, it was obviously no stranger to her. That being said, he still didn't know how she had managed to find herself in the predicament in the first place. Shisui had been supremely unhelpful when questioned. Him and Sasuke had found her by the docks in one of the large cities in the land of mist. She was hardly any match for two demons, especially without her voice. She had been easy to pick up.

So, did he want her to stay so he could protect her? That sounded pathetic even to his own ears, and Sakura would be affronted by that reasoning.

"I am unsure" he answered finally. Once again, this little Siren had brought him to a place that he so very rarely found himself.

The look on her face was a strong mix of skepticism and amusement, he got the unnerving feeling that perhaps she knew his motives better than he himself did. She laughed a small breathy chuckle and he frowned, more at his own ineptitude than the humor she found at his expense.

"Perhaps then, instead of asking me to stay you should be searching for your own reasons" she told him. There was a long pause as he absorbed the wisdom of her words.

It was true he realised, he wished her to be transparent and to reveal her thoughts and in the same moment didn't wish to reveal too much of himself. A sinking premonition settled over him before Sakura even started to speak her next words.

"I, however, believe I will be leaving soon" no explanation, no elaboration, just a soft declaration.

He couldn't ask her why, though that was the first thing to spring to his lips. It was through some effort he withheld the question and his dismay. How could he ask her such a thing when he himself could not answer the questions she had posed to him.

"Where will you go?" his voice is equally soft, and he is doing his best to sound less lost than he truly feels by her pronouncement.

She flashes him a sad smile and shrugs her shoulders.

"I don't know yet, I plan to drift wherever the current takes me?" she is not disheartened by this notion, but her words lack a certain enthusiasm he has come to expect from her and her escapades.

They are silent as they traverse the remaining distance to the castle. He struggles with a part of him that he cannot identify, can not rationalize as he usually does. He cannot chalk it up to instinct as he is want to do when he feels impulses and are not ground in the logical. He is still in the midst of this struggle when she stops at the large wooden entrance doors to the main courtyard, pausing to say something.

"Perhaps when you get your own understanding sorted out Itachi, you should come find me" She turns, stepping into his space in a manor that is very unusual for her, she steps up on her tip toes, hand resting on his chest and kisses him on the cheek. "Thank you"

Then she is gone, and he is left with a certainty that she will not be there for the morning meal as she has been for many months now. It occurs to him that for the second time he is watching her leave, and once again his soul wishes to stop her, and again he cannot define why.

His mood is instantly foul, and though he would never reduce himself to outward displays of his attitude, there is something in his bearing that becomes positively deadly.

The next morning, she is gone just as he knew she would be. One of the last roses of summer have been left on his office desk in the library. He flies home to the main palace only hours later, desperate to leave his confusion and horrid mood behind.

He doesn't know that you can't outrun this, can't out think this, it is the sort of thing you must accept and deal with head on. The head and the heart deal on different planes of existence, and the Uchiha heir has no experience dealing with the later. But he will learn.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

So I am being really evil once again, this is the end of this particular story. Sad ending I know! Already my mind is gone on to writing the installment of this story. I will probably begin to post it in a few weeks or so, hopefully once I have got a large enough head start that I can update weekly as I have been doing.

K so seriously, please review. Let me know what you want to see in the future of this world/pairing, what you like about this one. Anything and everything, I want to hear it all. Improvements, criticism even, I am resigned to the fact I will never become a better writer without them *sigh*.

check me out on Tumblr at linzejoe. Give me prompts people, be creative, inspire me and a will write.


End file.
